


Queen Takes King

by ShadowedTime



Category: Date A Bullet, Date A Live
Genre: Abuse of Authority, Blow Jobs, Confinement, Consensual Sex, Cowgirl Position, Drugging, F/M, First Meetings, Foreplay, Hatred, Implied/Referenced Rape/Non-con, Interrogation, Jealousy, Kidnapping, Manipulation, Mind Games, Missionary Position, Murder, Psychological Torture, Revenge, Scenarios, Smut, Tea, Threats of Violence, Torture, Unrequited Love, Vaginal Sex
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-07-04
Updated: 2020-07-25
Packaged: 2021-03-05 05:28:42
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death, Rape/Non-Con
Chapters: 4
Words: 15,917
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25059265
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ShadowedTime/pseuds/ShadowedTime
Summary: Shido meets the White Queen, only to find out there’s more than meets the eye when it comes to the mysterious dictator./orThis story is a four part collection of Shido meeting the White Queen. The chapters aren’t interconnected, but standalone. There is also a slight suspension of canon to accomodate Shido meeting the White Queen. Author’s notes in the first chapter will explain further. A fair warning, not all of these will be happy endings. The White Queen is complex and sugar-coating/kindness is hardly her forte.
Relationships: Shido Itsuka and White Queen (Date A Bullet), Shido Itsuka/White Queen (Date A Bullet)
Comments: 18
Kudos: 22





	1. Cult of Personality (Won't you join?)

**Author's Note:**

> As mentioned in the summary, this story is a four part collection. Each chapter will have Shido meeting a different one of the White Queen's personalities that we've been introduced to thus far. This was suggested to me by a reader a long while ago, but I never was able to figure out the correct way to have Shido meet her- I realise now that this was due to her many personalities, your experience with her depends on when you catch her. I'd like to give a warm thank you to those that helped me through this, friends and especially DarkRosePrincess for her constant assistance and putting up with my pestering. I hope you all enjoy! Sidenote: I do not own DaL or DaB, they're owned by their respective authors.

If he was asked to explain how he got here, Shido would have drawn a blank.

He couldn’t recall anything from before, his memories and every attempt at recall resulting in nothing. It was a pitiful feeling, but he didn’t have the time to dwell on it. 

“Tea?”

Shido had found himself in a living room of sorts. Seated on a lavish white couch surrounded by a white room and furnished with white furniture atop a white floor.  It stood to reason that Shido didn’t think he was anywhere on Earth. There was something distinctly different about the feel of this place, off putting and almost electric, making his hairs stand on end.  Before him was a woman dressed in a white military dress, highlighted only with grey accents on her epaulettes, buttons and intricate embroidery in the stitching. She wore a cap with a clock face on the front of it, and Shido was astonished, at first, by the fact that she was identical to Kurumi Tokisaki, save for the fact that her hair was stark white as opposed to deep black, and that her left eye was a blue clock face, rather than a golden one.

“…Yes please… uh, what was your name again?”

“White Queen, although you may call me Politician if that is easier for you to grasp.”

Picking up the white teapot, highlighted with silver accents in a floral pattern across it, Shido adjusted himself across the coffee table from the stranger. Truth be told, there were million and one questions flitting about his mind, and if not for his prior training dealing with situations on the fly, Shido thought he might be liable to freak out. 

_Deep breaths._ He told himself, centring himself on an exhale as the White Queen reached over to his cup. To say he wasn’t suspicious, however, was a false statement. In fact, Shido was on edge. His jaw was clenched, and his entire body was coiled, ready to bolt in the simplest of flight or fight responses.

As much as he wouldn’t like to admit it, Kurumi often incited a similar response in him. He couldn’t help but feel a pang of fear when facing her, even if it faded over time. And considering this person’s similarity to her, in such a strange way that Shido could only assume she was something of an Inverse Spirit, there was very good reason to be concerned.

The White Queen smiled sickeningly at him, and Shido watched as she delicately poured tea from the pot into the cup in front of him. She held the teapot with poise, and managed not to spill a single drop as she moved back to her cup, and filled it as well.

“Milk?”

Shido narrowed his eyes, but shook his head. “No, thanks. This is just fine.”

“Suit yourself.”

Pouring a small amount of milk into her tea, she stirred it and delicately added a sugar cube into the mix, before she set the spoon aside, and raised the cup to her mouth. Taking a long sip, she placed it back down and watched as Shido peered into his own cup.

_Nothing seems to be amiss._ He thought, reaching for his own cup and bringing it to his lips. He sniffed it, and upon finding nothing out of ordinary in the scent- it was actually quite comforting- took a cautious sip. _She did pour it for herself from the same pot, too…_

Shido tried to ignore the feeling of her gaze burning into him, and he set the cup down as best he could without trembling too much.

“Do you think I poisoned it?”

At the upfront question reflecting exactly what Shido was thinking, he had to stifle his immediate response of shock.

“I don’t think you can blame me for assuming that,” Shido answered, taking another slow sip, but this time eyeing the Queen over the rim of his cup.

“I wouldn’t stoop to such a low level, Shido Itsuka. If I were going to kill you, I wouldn’t be so clinical.”

Shido suppressed the urge to scoff, reminding himself that he was very much the vulnerable party in this situation. He set his cup down, and placed his closed hands against the table.

“Alright then… What did you want to talk about?”

“You mean you _still_ haven’t figured it out?”

Shido couldn’t hide the annoyed twitch in the corner of his mouth as it came. Politician was calmly eyeing him back, looking distinctly pleased with herself, no doubt from the reactions she garnered from her verbal jabs.

“ _No._ I haven’t.”

The mocking grin that lifted the White Queen’s lips actually stirred even _more_ annoyance inside of him, but with a deep breath, he managed to curb himself before he lashed out. He’d dealt with more annoyance before when dealing with Natsumi and her dangerous games, this could be managed.

“You’re here because I would like to strike a deal with you.”

“What kind of deal?”

“Think of it as a business deal. A partnership, something mutually beneficial for the two of us.”

Shido’s eyes narrowed, and he gestured for the White Queen to continue.

“I’ll spare you any sugarcoating. I feel like you’re the type of boy to appreciate having the facts laid out before him.”

As she spoke, she leaned back and crossed her legs beneath the table. The action was clipped and casual, but there was an air of authority about her from the simple action. Perhaps it was because of the way she looked at him, head slightly cocked, a gaze that betrayed nothing and a gentle smiling playing on her lips, but she emanated arrogance.

“I want you to act as an ambassador of sorts, or a pillar of support for my rule. You will pose as somebody who endorses my influence, and will seek to garner the favour of those that hold you dear to their hearts. And in exchange, you may have anything you want. Within some guidelines, of course.”

_What?_

Shido flinched slightly at the simple yet heavy request. Politician’s expression showed no signs of faltering, holding the eye contact he made without so much as a blink.

“…I don’t know the first thing about you, other than that you must’ve kidnapped me to bring me here. Why should I support you?”

“Do you think Kurumi Tokisaki is a good person, Shido?”

Memories, images. Shido felt them all come back to him in a rush, of their very first meeting to the times where he sincerely felt as if his life was about to end when speaking to the deadly Spirit. Then again, to the instances where Kurumi opened up to him, bit by bit, and even offered to help him through situations he was sure to flounder in without her aid. But the question was clear, the subtext and implication laid out for Shido to see with ease. What _did_ he think? She had done bad things, of course, but there was justification behind those actions. Whether or not they warranted the collateral damage, if the means justified the end, was the real question. Then again, he was one to think that nearly _everyone_ deserved a second chance, and Kurumi was no exception. Helping her, despite the threat and danger to him, was something he sincerely wanted to do.

Shido shifted in his spot as he thought.

_I don’t know the game she’s playing at… Better not be too honest…_

“…I think Kurumi means well. I can’t say I agree with everything that she’s done, though.”

“If you are able to reconcile her actions, then you will have no problem with mine,” Politician stated with the utmost ease. “I endeavour to do my job to the best of my ability. And I value the Empty, the services they can provide and for what they are. The other regions certainly don’t care as much for them as I do.”

At Shido’s frown, the White Queen waved a gloved hand. “Empty, lost girls, those who have all but given up on life. Kicked aside and shunned by everyone else in this world, I won’t get too deep into it. But they make up most of the population in Binah. I give them purpose and allow them to live. I save them from a pitiful death.”

“And how can I trust you? You can say that, but actions are more important than words.”

The White Queen merely chuckled, and she looked aside, towards a door Shido hadn’t noticed before.

“Rook, come in.”

The moment those instructions left her lips, the door to the room opened, and in stepped a girl who could only be described as blank. White hair, white clothes, as white as the room around them with the only exception to the shade being the blood red in her eyes. Her expression lacked any kind of emotion, and Shido felt himself tense as her eyes, piercing, fixed on him.

_Rook? What is this, chess?_ Shido wondered as the girl came to a stop beside the White Queen, just behind her chair.

“Yes?”

A frigid voice without any depth. Fitting for someone with such a disconcerting appearance.

Without so much as looking at Rook, the White Queen waved her hand again, and leaned to take another sip of her tea.

“Be a dear and tell him how you find life under my rule.”

Shido felt as if he could see the gears in her brain turn as she processed what Politician just said, and as she focused back on him, she suppressed a shiver.

“I love it,” Rook stated matter-of-factly, calmly watching Shido. “The White Queen gave me my purpose, and makes me feel far more alive than I ever did when I was forced to roam on my own. I’ve been treated harshly in other regions, and I’ve only ever felt like I belonged when I came to Binah.”

Shido was silent for a moment, processing what Rook had said.

“Are you happy?”  
  
“Immensely. Nothing brings me more joy than being here with my Queen.”

As she spoke, Rook gave the White Queen a sidelong glance, and Shido watched as her cheeks darkened ever so slightly. The Queen, smiled and hid her face in her teacup as she drank from it, but there was no missing the way she straightened up, proudly puffing her chest out.

“I… I see… That’s good then. I’m glad you’re happy.” 

Rook nodded, and as the White Queen snapped her fingers, bowed to the two of them. Wordlessly, as the White Queen set her cup down, she left for the door as quietly as she came.

Shido watched Rook go, feeling the smug smirk the White Queen was sending in his direction on his skin. It was surprising, really, how arrogant this Kurumi lookalike managed to be.

“Well?”

“I… I still have my hesitations. Pardon me for saying, but you don’t seem like the kindest person around.”

Hurt scarred the White Queen’s face as she recoiled slightly in her chair, mouth just slightly agape in a gasp of affront.

“I’m truly hurt, Shido. I’m offering you my finest hospitality and quite the fair deal, yet you respond with such abrasive words? A shame, really. You won’t even give me a second thought?”

_Shit._ Shido felt his heart pull at the response he received and at the expression the White Queen had on her face. He exhaled quickly, raising his hands.

“I’m sorry, but you have to understand my concerns, don’t you? These are… not the usual circumstances I’m in.”

“Is there really a ‘usual’ for you, Shido? Dealing with Spirits, girls with powers beyond most mortal comprehension?”

_She has a point._ Shido conceded with an inward sigh, and he nodded as the White Queen’s expression returned to something between a smile and a neutral rest.

“You’re not wrong there, at least… Can I ask, if I did accept… What would that mean? Being a supporting role to you.”

“You would have the chance to better the lives of those beyond the Empty, other Quasi-Spirits who seek to see you, to be precise.”

Shido perked up.

“Wait, people know about me here?”  
  
“Of course. Rumours of you spread far and wide, Shido. And unfortunately, these girls will die if they have it in their hearts that they desire to see you, yet are unable to. A shame, really. Unique, innocent lives, wasted.”

Politician sighed heavily, shaking her head with a dismayed click of her tongue. “But you have the chance to nip such a nasty thing in the bud. Simply let the truth spread that you are in Binah, and let these girls see you, then let me take over.”

Shido felt the anxiety writhing in his stomach ease at those words. They were comforting, and he couldn’t help but find the chance to save lives immensely appealing. This strange woman seemed to be sincere as well, judging by the way she spoke. _Calm and assured, I don’t think she’s lying…_

He just couldn’t shake the nagging feeling of his hairs standing on end at the back of his neck.

Watching him struggle with his thoughts, the White Queen smiled comfortingly.

“I would also be more than happy to give you something in return. Be it a more influential role, wealth, pleasure. You name it, and I am able to provide.”

Shido swallowed at the tone she used for the word _pleasure._ Huskier, lower, a sensual implication layered in one word. It made him squirm.

“That’s… you don’t need to offer that…”

“Why not?”

“It’s… tempting, I’ll be honest… But… I have people that rely on me in the other world, too.”

“Perhaps you could put in a good word for me there too, no?”

Shido’s gaze snapped up to observe the White Queen’s face as she said that. He nearly missed the way she quickly smiled, as if to play off her comment as a joke.

Something was telling him to pull back. A little voice in the depths of his mind. Screaming at him, in fact.

“I think… I’m going to have to decline. I’m sorry, but… I don’t think I’m cut out for this.”

“You don’t want to assure the safety of these girls?”

“ _No_ , I just… I don’t think I’m ready for a commitment like that.”

The White Queen’s lips twitched, a cat-like smile spreading across her face as she eyed him, as if waiting for him to continue. When he didn’t, she spoke instead.

“You _are_ Shido Itsuka, aren’t you? From what I have heard, there is no challenge too difficult for you to face.”

Shido didn’t miss the teasing tone in her voice, and he closed his hands around his teacup for warmth.

“Why do you know so much about me?”

“It would be remiss of me to blindly seek out assistance, wouldn’t it? I wanted to ensure that you would be willing to accept. Perhaps I was mistaken. I believed that you were the empathetic type. If not, are you also the type to refuse my offer of something more tangible?”

Shido watched as she leaned in, and he felt himself lean back in his seat, ever so slightly. Although, as he swayed forward again, he frowned. _Why am I feeling dizzy?_

“What do you mean?”

“I offered three things to you earlier. Power, wealth, pleasure. _Anything._ ”

Shido’s knees hit the bottom of the table the moment he felt the White Queen’s hand slide up along his inner thigh to squeeze it.

He recoiled instantly, all thoughts of civility gone as he shut his legs, quickly, watching as the White Queen’s eyes narrowed. Her hand moved away, and Shido quickly rushed to form the words that were flying around in his head. He should’ve listened to his damn instincts the very first moment they began to nag him.

“My answer is no. I’m sorry, but you’ll need to find somebody else. I want to go home.”

“You would condemn those girls to death?”

Shido watched as the White Queen’s jaw clenched, evidently gritting her teeth once she had finished speaking. Gone was the initial arrogance, the subsequent soothing, she had abandoned those facades in a way that showed her cards very clearly. That was worrying to Shido. The more she showed, the less she was intending on letting him go easily.

_I need to be careful…_

However, trying to focus on the right words to say was proving to be difficult. It was as if there was a storm in his head, a fuzziness making it difficult to concentrate.

“No, I don’t know how much I can trust you. How am I to believe these girls even exist? There are people I _know_ need my help back in my world. Kurumi included. People that I know need saving and that I can save without making a deal with someone I don’t trust.”

“What a shame. Putting the wants of a mass murderer over the lives of hundreds of innocents.”

“That’s not it,” Shido snapped, clutching his teacup with more force this time. “Don’t twist my words.”

“I’m only stating the implication,” Politician answered, looking back down at her tea and shrugging her shoulders. The action was careless, and it made Shido uncomfortable. Even in this short time of knowing her, she presented herself as a woman who knew what she wanted, exactly how to get it, and who would stop at nothing to achieve it. A resignation wasn’t something he expected.

_She’s got something up her sleeve…_

“So be it. At the very least, how was the tea?”

“The tea? It…” Shido trailed off, frowning as he blinked, focusing down on the half-drunk cup of tea before him. The table seemed to be shaking and swaying beneath them. “…It was good, thank you. What kind?”

“The usual, black tea,” Politician answered, before leaning back and dipping her head. “If your final answer is a declination, then you are free to go?”

Shido’s head snapped up, distracting him from the movement in the table. “Really?”

“I will make no move to stop you. So yes, Shido, really. A shame we couldn’t come to an agreement though. Rook will lead you to the place you need to go to leave.”

Shido sighed at those words, but nodded in acknowledgement. “I’m sorry we couldn’t find a middle ground.”

He stood up, planting his hands on the table to help him.

That’s what _should_ have happened.

The moment he pushed himself to his feet, Shido felt his legs give way beneath him. He gasped as he crumpled back onto the couch he was sitting on, eyes widening. He tried again to no avail, and it was then he became acutely aware of the fact his legs felt useless, like jelly unable to support his weight.

“Wha?” He asked, wincing at the sound he made. His words slurred, and Shido had to keep a tight grip on the table to prevent himself from falling as he tried to stand against, knuckles whitening with the strain.

“Are you having second thoughts about our deal?”

The White Queen’s voice cut through the fog in his mind, forcing him to pay attention. Even though she sounded far away, there was something commanding about her tone that drew his focus directly to her.

“N-no, I jus… Did… What did you do?”

That smile was back again, the one that made him feel distinctly unnerved when she poured the milk into her tea earlier.

Upon getting no response, anger flared in Shido’s muddled mind.

“Did you… did you poison me?!”

“Poison? Not at all, Shido. As I said, if I were to kill you, I wouldn’t go about it in such a detached way.” As she spoke, the White Queen stood up. She eyed him with a smile, but even with his swimming vision, Shido could see that the grin was far more malicious than it was gentle. She walked around the table, and out of his sight. That alone made every muscle in his body tense as much as that was possible for his weakened state.

“I did, however, drug you. A rule of thumb is that you should never trust a drink you didn’t see poured, you never looked into the teacup, did you?”

Shido would’ve flinched if he could. He voice was next to his ear, and as he sagged forward, the White Queen’s hands on his shoulders wrenched him back upright. Her gloved hands ran up either side of his neck, keeping his head straight as it lolled to the side.

“I suspected that you might be obstinate. Those with as much gumption as you tend to be. Too stuck to their ideals.”

Shido wanted to reply, but his tongue wouldn’t work. It felt too big for his mouth, and his stomach squirmed at how powerless he felt. It turned even more as she ran her fingers through his hair, combing it back.

“But as you aren’t the first I’ve encountered, breaking your type become second nature to me. You’ll be agreeing with me before you know it, Itsuka.”

Shido could feel his vision fading, darkness pressing on the edges of it. But he could still _feel_ , every sensation of the White Queen’s hands as they roamed him. It was disgusting, and it made him feel even sicker.

It was brutal, violating, and grim.

He could only _feel_ as his sight faded, and the White Queen’s touch and voice were the only things left to embrace him as his consciousness slipped away.

“Work with me, and when you awake, we’ll try this again. Then perhaps again, as many times as it takes with different techniques. I think that will be quite entertaining. People tend to turn over quite easily once they’re made a little vulnerable.”

Shido could only mumble incoherently as the Queen’s voice, too, melted into nonsense to his ears. He was dimly aware of his lips moving, trying his hardest to tell her to stop, but he couldn’t be sure he was any semblance of coherent.

And he could only feel as her hands moved lower.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Politician was definitely the hardest one to do for me, due to the fact we know awfully little about her. So I took some creative liberty in her character. Still a lot of fun to write!


	2. Spoils of War

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Timely chapter addition with the release of the DAB trailer! I encourage you all to check it out if that's your thing, I know I'm excited!

Shido had no recollection of what happened before.

He _could_ have been spending time with Tohka, or speaking with Kotori about the state of affairs. But it was all a blur, and his body ached. Like he had fallen from a height and crashed into the ground below.

Opening his eyes, he looked around. His surroundings, however, were a stark contrast from what he was used to. White walls surrounded him, lined with various instruments and weapons stacked on wooden shelves. A single light was perched on the ceiling, and upon glancing to his side, he realised he was in a room with only one exit. A lone iron door.

Movement caught his eye, and Shido was made abruptly aware of the other presence in the room.

A girl with white hair, a plain white dress, and blood red eyes. Shido flinched at the strange woman’s silent form, having not expected anyone else to be in this room with him.

The girl noticed his awareness, and started towards him.

As Shido went to raise his hands in a display of peace, he found that they were tightly bound to the armrests of the chair he sat on.

“Hey…” He began, trying to hide quickly rising panic from his voice. The girl reached out, checking the shackles around his wrists and pressing down to tighten them. It hurt, and he winced, but she paid him no attention.

“The White Queen will be in shortly. Don’t make too much noise.”

Her voice was somewhat calming. Not soft, but not too rough. It was an even voice, but one that sounded distinctly… hollow.

In the face of such an abnormal situation, even by his standards, he could only swallow and nod. The girl then tightened the shackles around his other wrist, before swiftly leaving, unlocking the door from the inside and shutting it behind her. Shido heard the lock click shut.

_Not that I can really leave anyway…_

Shido was completely and utterly confused. This was _not_ what he assumed his day was meant to be like, and he had absolutely no clue as to where he was. This dungeon, or torture room (not that he wanted to think about those possibilities) had no discerning features that would give him an indicator of his location. He might not be in the country. Or on Earth, for that matter.

His thoughts were interrupted by the twist of a heavy lock, and he quickly looked over to the iron door that opened up.

Through it stepped a woman dressed in all white, wearing a militaristic white dress embezzled with epaulets, floral decorations around her waist, and an admiral’s cap atop her head to top the look off.

What was most startling to him was the fact that her face was identical to that of Kurumi’s.

_White Queen._

The previous girl’s words rang in his head, and Shido was about to ask ‘Kurumi’ what the hell was going on. However he quickly realised that this was no normal situation, and that he probably wasn’t dealing with _Kurumi._ Her hair was stark white as opposed to deep black, and her left eye was a regal blue where it should have been a rich gold. Yet, still a clock face.

Inversion?

Before he could ask, the woman spoke instead.

“Shido Itsuka.”

She addressed him with a voice he was familiar with. But not _exactly_ Kurumi’s.

“I take it Rook looked after you?”

The White Queen, as Shido assumed, clasped her hands behind her back. Her heels clicked as she approached him, and stopped as she halted a few metres from him.

“Um… yes…” Was all he trusted himself to say. There was a plethora of questions pressing on his skull, so many that he thought his head might explode.

“Good,” the White Queen hummed, giving his figure a rake over with her gaze, before she straightened her posture, perfectly, like a soldier would.

“I am the White Queen. However, you may address me as General. I suppose you’re wondering why you’re here?”

_General_. _Queen. Hardly normal names, and neither are something Kurumi would use to address herself as…_

“Nice to meet you, General,” Shido said, trying not to sound too confused. “And yes, I am… Uh, have I done something wrong?”

She smiled.

“Nothing at all. You’re here because I would like to strike a deal with you. But before we begin, I would like Rook to rejoin us. She shouldn’t be long.” The White Queen answered him, turning on her heels to begin to circle him.

Shido was beginning to feel distinctly unnerved.

“A deal… I see… If you don’t mind me asking, where are we?” Shido asked, hearing her shoes click against the floor as she rounded him.

“Binah. The Third Region in the Neighbouring World.”

“The Neighbouring World?!” Shido repeated, his eyes widening almost comically as he turned to watch the walking White Queen. “You mean… Hang on, how did I get here? Did you bring me here?!”

The White Queen didn’t smile this time, just waving a gloved hand dismissively.

“That isn’t important. You will know all you need to know shortly,” she assured him, but Shido didn’t feel at all comforted as he watched her walk by his line of sight.

As the White Queen moved from his vision, Shido’s attention was wrenched to the sound of the heavy iron door being pushed open yet again.

And as he saw the two people that walked through, his mouth became dry and his heart skipped a beat.

The girl, Rook, that had been in the room earlier had slipped out, and now returned with another person. That person was a girl, no older than himself if he had to guess. She was being pushed towards the other chair in front of him, stumbling over her feet with Rook dragging her along to make up for her inability to walk.

It was then that Shido noticed the numerous bruises, scars and fresh blood smears across her body. Her dress, what he assumed to be an Astral Dress, was in tatters and reduced to matted bloody rags. Her hair was in a similar state, sticking to her face and flat against her head.

Shido could only watch as Rook roughly sat the girl down in her chair, and promptly locked her wrists and legs in the shackles attached to it. The girl hardly resisted, and Shido noticed white in the roots of her hair as she hung her head.

He was wrenched from his observation, guts twisting in anxiety as his mind began to race and piece together what was happening.

“Rook? Get the pliers,” General’s voice was icy, and Rook briefly regarded the Queen with a blush, before nodding and walking over to the side of the room the White Queen was in.

Upon turning his head, Shido noted the rows of weapons and _devices_ lining the walls. His mind began to delve deeper into what was happening, and disturbing images of what may happen to him and the girl in front of him began to invade his thoughts.

He shook his head as if to shake them away, gritting his teeth upon hearing the White Queen’s heels clicking against the floor, toward him.

Before he could react, fingers tangled in his blue hair and roughly wrenched his head back. Shido cried out, sharply, and was forced to make eye contact with the piercing mismatched gaze of the White Queen. Keeping his head bent back painfully, his spine rolling against the back of the chair, she leaned down and twisted her fist in his hair.

“This will be as simple as you decide to make it,” The White Queen murmured, watching Shido wince as his hair was tugged so painfully. “So I suggest you listen closely.”

Shido gulped, and watched as the White Queen’s gaze flickered to his Adam’s apple. Interest lit up her eyes, and by the time Shido remembered the sabre in her hand before, images of it slitting his throat assaulting him, she had forced his head forward.

He was made to look at the girl in front of him, who was looking right back at him from beneath her fringe.

“I’m listening.” Shido whispered, in fear of startling the girl and inciting the White Queen’s ire.

“I am going to ask you series of questions and requests. I expect an answer to each of them. If you don’t respond…”

The White Queen nodded to Rook, who brandished the pliers and took hold of the girl’s shackled hand, pressing the jaws of the tool closed around her index fingernail.

_Fuck_.

“… Rook will remove her nails, one for each question you fail to answer to a satisfactory level or request you deny. Then, she will move onto her teeth, and beyond that…”

The White Queen chuckled lowly, her gloved hand closing around Shido’s shoulder in a deathly tight grip that made him wince.

“I will do things you can’t even imagine to her, and make you partake. Have I made myself clear?”

Shido felt as if his heart was going to burst from his chest.

“Crystal,” he managed out between grit teeth.

A moment of silence, and the crushing hand on his shoulder let go.

“I’m glad we’re on the same page,” White Queen responded, airily, as if she hadn’t just given him a crushing ultimatum that held no regard for life.

Shido looked away from the Queen at that, trying to pretend she wasn’t circling behind him. His eyes focused on the girl, who was watching him warily and trying her best not to look at Rook, who had the pliers squeezed around her nail.

_Don’t worry._ He mouthed to her, figuring that Rook wasn’t paying attention to him and that the Queen wouldn’t see from her position behind him.

The girl just accepted his words with the slightest of nods, focusing back on the pristine floor.

The communication wasn’t missed by the watchful eye of the White Queen, who brushed past Shido.

“Trying to develop rapport?” The White Queen asked him, stopping beside the girl and lightly taking her face. Shido couldn’t miss the way her lip curled in disdain the moment her gloved hand cupped her chin. The girl looked up at her, fearfully, but said nothing else. After eyeing her for a moment longer, the White Queen seemed to grow disinterested, and let go of the girl to instead address Shido.

“I will spare you the intricate details, but some regions here in this world have Quasi-Spirits falling in love with you. I believe the Compiles there must be frequently based around you, which means that you’re quite popular.” The White Queen crossed her arms as she spoke, and Shido felt that it was only polite to nod to show that he was listening.

“Some of these girls make it their life goal to see you. In this world, if you have a goal, it is the only thing rooting you to the land of the living. That is to say, if you lose that goal or find it unattainable, you will become Empty and die, unless you have an intervention or are strong willed enough to find a new goal. Many of my soldiers are found by me. I give them new purpose, and they pledge their life to serving me.”

Reaching over, she lightly pet Rook’s head with her gloved hand. Rook’s cheeks darkened in response, but she didn’t take her eyes off of her captive.

“Just like Rook here. Shido, are you following?”

Having been briefly distracted by Rook’s reaction, Shido’s head snapped to attention as he met the White Queen’s steely eyes. “I am… Quasi-Spirits die without a purpose… and some of them have me as their purpose… I get that.”

General smiled without warmth.

“I’m pleased you aren’t as stupid as you appear.”

Shido’s mouth twisted at the insult, but he held himself back from saying anything else. He remembered back to meeting Miku for the first time, and her insults and demeanour had been far more hurtful… this was nothing he couldn’t handle.

But it still stung. A little.

“What I want from you, is a loyal dog, so to speak. I want the enamoured girls to come to Binah, knowing that you are here, and I want you to break their hearts.”

The odd request made Shido double take, flinching at the proposal. He eyed the White Queen for a moment.

_Is this some sort of sick joke?_ He wondered to himself. He was the one to _date_ the girls, making them fall _out_ of love with him was a rather foreign concept to him. Again, if he tried hard enough, he probably could… but considering what the Queen told him about these girls, he wasn’t so sure.

“…If they make finding me their, uh… life goal… wouldn’t that mean they’re _very_ interested in me? I’ve met a lot of girls, Ku- ah, General… You can’t ask people to politely stop liking you then expect them to do it.”

“Which is why you’re going to do it as brutally as you need to. Insult them, whatever needs to be done. Then, I will step in and save them from disappearing completely by shifting their focus to me.”

“…What?!” 

Shido’s exasperated hiss was going to be far more biting, but as he saw Rook’s expression twitch, he cut his exclamation short. He glared up at General, who only looked back at him, evenly.

“That’s insane! Why not just let them have their goal with me?” Shido demanded before he could stop himself. The White Queen held his gaze for a moment, letting the echo of his voice in the vast dungeon hang for a moment before continuing.

“Letting them maintain their love for you is dangerous. They need to have their entire life dedicated to me and me alone, I have learned from that mistake once before and I will not repeat it.”

“Then I don’t agree! This is insane! I don’t want to be apart of this!”

The girl in front of him flinched, and Shido quickly realised his error as Rook’s knuckles whitened around the pliers.

“You don’t have a choice,” General explained calmly. Her brow was furrowed now, but there was a distinct, gleeful light in her eyes that made Shido swallow, hard.

“Rook, her nail.”

“Yes, my Queen.”

Shido’s stomach dropped, and the girl finally made the first sound since their meeting. A horrified gasp as pressure was put onto the bed of her nail. Life seemed to pour into her as she tensed stiff, and tried to thrash away from Rook’s pliers.

_“Stop it!”_

Shido’s horrified gasp was in tandem with the girl’s hapless plea.

And to his surprise, and the girl’s immediate relief, the White Queen raised a balled fist with a sickening smirk. Like a trained dog, Rook put slack into the pliers and their jaws released the girl’s nail.

Shido’s heart was racing, and upon hearing the girl’s hushed whimper, he knew hers was as well.

The White Queen roughly gripped the girl’s hair, and violently jerked her head from side to side for a moment, rattling her back into a sullen silence.

“I’m pleased to hear that you have a voice. Perhaps it will come back when you and I have a session later, hm?” She murmured, before releasing her head. It lolled forward, but Rook used her free hand to straighten her neck.

The Queen’s attention was back on Shido.

“So you do have fire in you. I was beginning to think you were only about empathy,” the White Queen commented, brushing her gloves hands off after touching the girl. “Now only if you could channel that when I need you to.”

Shido bit back his initial response of just _denial_ , given that the White Queen obviously had no intentions of pulling her punches. He reasoned that next time, she might not stop at just a threat. A very real one, all told.

“…General, this is impossible for me… I’m sorry, but I can’t.”

“You can’t? Why not?”

Somehow, the question didn’t seem all that sincere.

“With all due respect, it isn’t right… How do I know that you’re not just going to kill these girls, anyway? Anything I’ve done would be for naught, and I can’t live knowing that I’ve been the cause of death for hundreds. You’ve not told me why you need these girls, beyond giving them a purpose, but something tells me that you’re not _just_ selfless. You need them for _something_.” Shido picked his words carefully, closely monitoring the White Queen’s reaction. To his dismay, reading her was impossible.

“Is that all? You don’t want to be aware of possible damage your actions could cause?”

“… It isn’t that I don’t want to be _aware_ , I don’t want to be the _cause_ of _any_ damages.”

“We all have things in life we cannot obtain.” The White Queen answered, and Shido watched as she crossed her arms, her finger impatiently tapping against her upper arm. Shido grimaced at the response. This was proving to be an uphill battle, one that he had little change of winning.

_I can’t reason with her._ He realised grimly, scowling slightly. Her gaze didn’t falter as he met it, and Shido took a breath to steady himself. Clutching at straws, he thought of some response, anything that wouldn’t get the girl mangled and dig himself deeper into his own grave.

Then he found it.

“…Why?”

Upon seeing the quizzical raise of an eyebrow, Shido wet his lips to continue. “Why are you doing this to them? You obviously have some goal in mind… Is it to get more Rooks?”

He heard the girl sniffle, but the White Queen didn’t flinch as she responded to him.

“Does that matter?”

“It does,” Shido answered, without hesitation this time. “I can’t agree to something unless I know why you’re doing it.”

The White Queen was silent for some time, staring coldly down at him. He could tell, though, that she was thinking about what he had said. Carefully.

“The girls that don’t have goals, those that lose their goals, become Empty. It is a fact of life in this world. They are mistreated in all regions, either that or they are shunned and forced to wander without purpose until they die. Don’t you think that’s miserable?”

Shido nodded.

“Would you rather these girls die a meaningless death, or would you rather hand them over to me? Each Quasi-Spirit has a role under my reign. Those girls that love you eventually die, and I don’t suppose you would be able to maintain a relationship with every single girl who has made you their sole purpose, and will die without you. Some may want exclusivity. You cannot provide that.”

Shido bit his tongue to keep himself from mentioning the Spirits… but even then, she may already know. She seemed to know a lot about him already. And he honestly wasn’t sure if he could actually manage what she was proposing.

“I see…” He murmured, quietly. “But… I just…”

“You refuse the opportunity to save hundreds?”

The White Queen’s words cut him deeper than any blade, and Shido flinched against his chair.

“I didn’t say that! I just need time to think! I still don’t know what you do with these girls, you say you give them a role, but what does that mean? How do I know I’m not leading them to their deaths?”

His voice was met with his own echo, because the Queen, nor Rook, nor the girl responded to him. He kept his gazed fixed on the ruler’s, who met it with unparalleled ease.

Time dragged on.

Until.

“That will be all for today,” General announced after the chilling silence, nodding at Rook who wordlessly unlocked the shackles around the girl’s wrists and ankles, before roughly hoisting her to her feet once more and guiding her outside. Shido breathed a sigh in relief as he watched her go. Despite the grimace on her face due to how Rook shoved her along, the alternative of him not speaking would have been far, far worse. His fingernails stung in sympathy.

Hopefully, the White Queen would keep her word and not threaten her further… although he didn’t quite believe that.

Shido struggled slightly against his own bindings. It didn’t go unnoticed by the White Queen, who jerked her head towards him. That smile was back, and Shido shivered upon seeing it. 

“Are you sore?” She asked, tipping her head towards his shackles. The question was concerned… but Shido felt as if she wasn’t really asking in his best interest. Besides, considering the abrupt finish to their session… he didn’t really feel safe.

“Yes,” he answered, flexing his fingers. “Could… Could you loosen them?”

The White Queen eyed him from where she was for a moment, before she approached him.

Shido, however, couldn’t relax. The way she walked was purposeful, not relaxed at all, and he immediately regretted the decision to open his damn mouth.

“B-but I’ll be fine if it’s too much trouble.”

The tyrant waved him off, and stopped in front of him. After regarding his form for a moment, as Shido found himself unable to maintain eye contact, her hand closed around the handle of her sabre, materialised from nowhere.

“I realise now that this may take longer than I anticipated.”

Shido swallowed, watching the dim light of the dungeon reflect off of the sharp blade. His rebuttal was cut off by General’s harsh interjection.

“You will have a pivotal role in my goal, and so long as you cooperate, you will save lives. Isn’t that what you’re all about? And you still can’t come to a decision? How shameful.”

“You can’t expect…” Shido began, swallowing to centre himself. “…you can’t expect me to answer such a loaded question truthfully and well enough in such a short period of time.”

The White Queen laughed, proud and arrogant.

“Apparently so. But no matter. I have other plans for you should you not obey.”

“What plans?” Shido gasped, his eyes widening as he struggled more, trying to test if he could wiggle his wrists from their binds.

He couldn’t.

“I need more time!”

“You will have plenty of time. This will take as long as it takes. Unless I believe that you are truly so selfish that you would sacrifice lives for your own comfort.” The White Queen waved him off, before she raised her sabre.

Shido shied away, gritting his teeth and feeling his palms sweat. Those words entailed something his brain was refusing to comprehend, for his own safety. But it was inevitable.

“…If I don’t accept?”

The White Queen just smiled and adjusting her grip on her sabre. She stepped closer to him, and pressed the hilt to his head, lightly.

Shido's struggles grew more feverish. He tugged at his shackles, false hope bubbling in his chest as his sweat aided in his attempts. General watched him, wordlessly, before jerking her sabre back and bringing the butt of it down against his temple, hard.

“You’ll break soon enough,” White Queen explained, carelessly, as if she hadn’t just knocked Shido’s brain around in his skull. Shido’s head swayed, and before he could respond, the sabre came down again, blinding him with sharp pain that radiated down the stem of his neck.

“It’s a matter of how painful you will make it for yourself.”

Shido could barely hear her voice through the fog filling his mind. The third time her sabre cracked against his head, he smelled blood and felt it leak across his face. She tilted his head back slightly, looking at him. Watching as his head limply lolled back, her eyes filled with a kind of interest Shido never wanted to see again.

Shido saw his vision dim, and his consciousness slipped away.


	3. Kingmaking

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Lady, the one personality who is slightly less violent than the rest of them. Lucky Shido.

_How do I get myself in these situations…_

Waking up with no recollection of where he was and how he got there wasn’t a foreign concept for Shido Itsuka. He had found himself, this time, in a relatively small sort of room. It was dark, too dark to make out the features, but upon closer inspection, he realised that he seemed to be in a sort of closet. Or maybe a walk-in wardrobe?

He couldn’t see the clothes lining the racks either, only just able to make out the same vague shade of colour in the room. Everything was rather white.

Shido scratched the back of his head as he sat up, briefly wobbling on his feet. He placed a hand out to steady himself, and tried to gather his bearings. A futile effort, really.

While he couldn’t figure out quite _where_ he was beyond this closet, Shido couldn’t shake a rather strange feeling that nagged at him. A feeling that often came to one in a strange location.

_This isn’t a closet I know…_

Was someone playing a prank on him?

As his eyes adjusted to the dark, Shido stepped forward, and noticed that something moved on the floor. He jumped initially, but as the small dark object failed to move, he bent down to inspect it.

_…A rose petal?_

Shido frowned as he reached down to pick up the petal. It was soft, like a real rose, and a deep red- that much he could see. Upon looking up, he realised that there were multiple of them. A trail, in fact.

That led to a shut door.

“If this is some kind of prank…” Shido muttered to himself, sighing as he straightened up and began to follow the little path made for (presumably) him. He twisted the door handle once he reached it, and pushed it open. He was greeted by a small hallway that led towards yet another door, and sure enough, the rose petals led towards the door at the end of the corridor. Shido paused, briefly. Again, he didn’t recognise the layout of what he presumed to be a house, and the fact that every single thing in his sight was white save for the roses was also somewhat strange.

As he began to follow the trail, slightly more tentative than before, Shido tried running through possibilities of what had happened. The Spirits sometimes pulled pranks on him, but this felt… different. There was an instinctive feeling bugging him, and it made him want to turn around. Yet… Something like this, a fabricated reality, could be achieved by a few of the Spirits. Illusions and the like weren’t far out of the ordinary.

“But why would they?”

Sliding through the slightly ajar door, Shido scowled as it led into a bathroom. Again, that same clinical white colour scheme, with surprisingly little signs of life in the bathroom itself. Aside from those damned rose petals of course.

_…who the hell even thought of this prank?_

Not bothering to check around the room, he swiftly made his way to the next door. It was a safe bet that he was probably going to end up having to walk through another hall or room, and he had resigned himself to having to play along with this tedious game of _follow the roses_. The things he endured sometimes…

He was sorely mistaken.

Pushing open the door, he bore witness to something most abnormal.

Shido’s eyes widened.

The rose petals had been some kind of indicator. A corny one at that, but still something that made him assume what was to happen. But he had to admit… He didn’t _quite_ expect this.

A lavish bedroom was open to him. With an impressive king sized bed in the centre, the rest of the room was lined with white walls, curtains, pieces of sparse furniture with little attempt at decoration. Nearly _everything_ was white, from the bedsheets to the duvet. Red rose petals scattered across the bed and floor around it gave the room _some_ colour, but what drew his attention the most and captured it was _who_ was laying on the bed.

Shido’s breath was promptly stolen from him.

Laying on the bed was a woman. Wearing little more than lacy, delicate white lingerie, it left very little to the imagination. Fitting with the rest of the room, she had perfectly white hair. Though, that was hardly the thing he was focused on. She was draped over the bed, laying on her side with her head propped up by her hand. Her back was turned to him, and the pose alone accentuated her flared hips, and Shido found himself tracing the contours of her near-naked body on instinct. He followed the curve of her spine up, then down again, gazing over her rear as it were presented to him.

“H-hello… Ah…”

Perfect. What a great introduction. His throat dried up, and Shido’s voice completely died in his throat.

_Am I in the wrong room or something?_ He thought to himself, but those thoughts were completely banished when the woman perked up upon hearing his voice, before turning over completely.

With this new position, Shido got a full view of her creamy white skin, impressive bust and her sensual smirk… all of it was both _very_ arousing, but also very _familiar._

Swallowing, and tearing his eyes from the woman’s chest, he forced himself to meet her eyes. The woman’s identity hit him like a truck.

“You finally came, King.”

The woman’s voice was soft and familiar. Her eyes, however, immediately gave away her identity. Because only one other person in the world had them. Kurumi Tokisaki. But this woman was the opposite of Kurumi, in every sense of the word. However, that wasn’t the strangest thing about this entire interaction.

“King?” Shido repeated, dazed and trying his absolute hardest not to let his eyes wander. “I think you’ve got the wrong person…”

“No, King, I have the right person. I’m sure of it,” the woman responded, and Shido couldn’t miss the almost feverish shine in her eyes as she eyed him down.

He was starting to feel very much like prey to a lioness.

Before Shido could insist once more that his name, first of all, wasn’t King, then ask what the hell was going on, the woman suddenly surged up. Shido gasped as she gripped the collar of his shirt, and let out a very embarrassing squeal as she pulled him down with inhuman strength that he was somewhat used to by now.

Shido found himself atop of the woman, and he swallowed as he quickly braced himself with his arms, either side of her head, as to not hurt her beneath his weight. This new position, however, gave him a _perfect_ view of her impressive cleavage, the soft skin of her tits, amplified by the way her bra hugged her bust.

Trying to ignore the feeling of his erection straining against his trousers, Shido again forced himself to meet her eyes.

“Who are you?”

The girl only smiled, reaching up to softly place her hand against his chest, gently grasping his shirt.

“The White Queen. _Your_ Queen,” she whispered, and Shido felt his mind melt a little more as she traced his chest with her fingers, tracing out the ridges and lines of his body with rapt attention.

“Are you sure you’ve got the right person? I don’t know you…” Shido managed out, and the girl- the White Queen- only chuckled lightly, before pushing him back, lightly, off of her and onto the bed. He huffed as he fell back against it, instinctively sitting himself up against the head of the bed. The White Queen seamlessly switched their positions, placing herself in-between his legs.

“You don’t know me, but I know about you, King. Your name is Shido Itsuka, isn’t it? Surely I look familiar to you, it can’t be that much of a surprise that I know you,” the White Queen whispered. She took hold of the hem of his shirt, and despite Shido dimly wanting to question if things were going a little too fast, promptly relieved him of his shirt and tossed it aside. Shido didn’t resist.

_She looks just like Kurumi… Except for the colour scheme…_

“I’ve waited so long for this,” the White Queen admitted, her tone lowering significantly, almost to a meek whisper as her gaze roamed over his torso. “I hope you don’t mind, but I’ve dreamt of this day.”

“R-really?”

“Really. The day I could meet you and make you mine. To be yours.”

Shido swallowed again, thoughts of the other Spirits and exactly where he was only barely hanging onto his brain as he watched the Queen’s hand lower, towards his belt buckle.

“How do you know so much about me?”

The White Queen paused as she held the clasp of his belt, before looking up at him once more. She gave him a smile, sensual and coy.

“That doesn’t matter, King,” she began, pulling back just enough to reach behind her. “What matters is how well we get to know each other _now.”_

Shido had to clench his jaw to prevent it from dropping the moment the White Queen’s bra hit the sheets below them.

“O-oh, wow…” Shido stammered, spreading his legs a little more involuntarily. Pert nipples, that large bust bared to him uninhibited… it was torturous in all the best ways. “You’re… really beautiful.”

The White Queen blushed, but Shido didn’t catch it. She instead, with surprising ease, unclasped his belt and discarded it to the floor. Followed by his pants and underwear, Shido sighed in relief as his cock was freed from the confines of his clothes. He also felt incredibly exposed, but something about the way the White Queen was behaving put him at ease… Even though it was the last thing he should be feeling in such strange circumstances.

“You don’t disappoint.” The White Queen whispered, smirking faintly as she wrapped her slender fingers around the base of his cock, rock hard and hot in her hand. Shido swallowed, groaning at the feel of her fingers and squirming as she gave his dick an experimental squeeze.

“Does that feel good?” The White Queen asked, softly, smiling even more as Shido stifled some more sounds. He nodded quickly, fixated on the sight of her hand gently stroking his length, from base to tip, in slow and rhythmic pumps.

“Really good,” Shido gasped, his entire body tensing as his hips jerked, cock jumping in the Queen’s grip. The White Queen smiled at that, and took her hand away briefly, to Shido’s annoyance. But before he could protest, he watches as her hand disappeared between her own legs. Briefly rubbing herself and not hiding her breathy purr, she reached out and took hold of his cock once more. Her fingers were slick now, and Shido realised that the shine on her fingers was from her own arousal. He gripped the sheets as she began to pump his cock in earnest, the slick of her juices the perfect combination of wetness and friction. She gripped him confidently, squeezing his cock softly before bringing her fist around the top of his cock. She lightly traced the tip of his cock with her thumb, smiling up at him as he grit his teeth and suppressed a shudder that wracked him.

“Th-that’s it…” He groaned, shivering as those sensations rolled through his body, making his head wobble as he rested it back against the head of the bed.

“I promise, we’re going to have a wonderful night together,” the White Queen cooed, voice sweet and silky as she jacked him off, slow and firm. “I really can’t wait…”

“Y-yes…” Was all Shido could say, flinching as the White Queen now positioned herself between his legs, eyeing him and slowing the strokes on his cock.

“So let’s get started, shall we?”

Before Shido could respond, he was swamped by a wave of ecstasy. The White Queen ran her tongue up over his length, and Shido quickly, carefully placed a hand on her head, gently clenching her white hair as the soft moistness of her tongue caressed his cock from base to tip. Without skipping a beat, she took him into his mouth once she reached the top of his dick, and sealed her lips around his sensitive head.

“Q-Queen!” Shido hissed out, not knowing quite what to call her as he shook beneath her sensual, dedicated ministrations. His cock twitched, throbbing in her mouth as the Queen hollowed her cheeks out and encircled his girth with her tongue. She left no inch of him untouched, the warmth of her mouth driving him mad. The pleased hum that rumbled in her throat only added to the myriad of sensations Shido could never hope to match when he’d masturbate himself. “Please don’t stop!’

And she didn’t. Didn’t slow one bit. Her tongue swirled around the girth of his cock, flickering over the head of his cock and drawing more groans from his tightly grit teeth. He resisted the urge to pull her head down, but even so, she must have felt the tightening in her hair and she took more of him into her mouth. He gasped as his cock brushed against the back of her throat, and the brief way she gagged made her throat squeeze around his cock in the best way. Heat rolled in his abdomen and his cock throbbed with pleasure, and his orgasm crept up on him before he even realised it.

“I-I’m close!” Shido exclaimed, trying his damndest not to hurt the White Queen as he clenched her hair tighter in an attempt to ground himself. In response to his warning, the White Queen let out a sound that was sheer sex and eroticism. A moan that went straight to Shido’s cock, and as she pressed the flat of her tongue to the head of his dick, before taking him into her mouth as much as she could. Wrapping her fingers around what she couldn’t, she gave him a squeeze as his hips jerked and he climaxed, hilting himself in her mouth. She stifled a cough at the foreign sensation of hot ropes of cum spurting down her throat. The actions only made Shido twitch and writhe, a mess at her mercy as she kept him in her mouth until he finally came off his climax. Only then did she pull away, leaving his cock shiny with her saliva. Shido couldn’t resist watching the sight of her almost bashfully wipe her around her mouth with her fingers in an attempt to clean herself off, a far cry from the confidence seconds prior

Through the haze of his climax and under her expectant and… surprisingly adoring, half-lidded gaze, Shido spoke.

“That was really… really amazing…” He whispered, watching the blush rise to her cheeks as he complimented her. His cock involuntarily twitched at the sight of it. “Where did you learn it?”

Usually, Shido might’ve questioned himself about such a trite thing to say. But he was far too pleased after such an orgasm to really care. He watched as the Queen smiled, and couldn’t resist his own lips lifting in sympathy.  
  
“I wanted to make our first time one to be remembered, King,” the White Queen whispered breathlessly. “So I decided to read about how to make you feel good, and put it into practise. I’m glad you liked it.”

Stopping Shido’s response by placing a finger to his lips, she straddled his abdomen. He shuddered at the feel of her folds, soft and warm heat pressed so intimately against his body. His cock twitched in response.

“But please, King… Don’t call me Queen. I much prefer _Lady._ ”

_Lady? What kind of name is that? Then again… what kind of name is White Queen…_

“Lady it is.” Shido agreed, giving her an earnest smile in attempt to keep her attention away from his cock. Her position atop of him was doing torturous things to him even after he’d just climaxed.

Unfortunately (well, fortunately, if he were being honest), Lady took notice of his quickly hardening cock. She grinned, flashy, confident and alluring, and slid her hand up to cup Shido’s cheek. She brought her face close, and nearly brushed her lips to his. Shido’s heart skipped a beat at the action, finding himself lost in the Queen’s mismatched eyes.

_Does she want me to seal her… can I even do that?_ Shido wondered, but as he leaned forward to kiss her, Lady reared back. A blush rose to his face, embarrassment from the bold action squirming in his gut.

“I’m sorry! If you’re not ready or you don’t want it… I just, instinct and all…” He quickly apologised, but the White Queen only chuckled heartily.

“I’m not surprised, King. You’re quite the ladies’ man, from what I’ve heard.”

Shido scratched the back of his neck, unable to stop a chuckle from escaping him.

“Yeah, I guess you could call it that… Wait, where exactly _are_ we?”

Realisation as to the fact Shido honestly had no clue where he was, apart from in a bedroom with a stunningly attractive and seemingly kind woman who looked far too much like Kurumi Tokisaki for comfort hit him like a truck. Unfortunately, he realised that any hope of clarity died as Lady laughed his question off, and instead reached down to hook a thumb over her panties, and promptly slide them off.

_Fuck…_

“You’re in my castle, King. _Our_ castle. That’s all that matters, isn’t it? That, and the fact that we’re going to have so much fun together…”

If he weren’t so aroused, Shido probably would’ve had the mind to question the ludicrousness of the entire situation. He was still aware of it dimly in the back of his mind, but the reality of what Lady was offering him was drowning out any thought that didn’t pertain to instinctive, animal drive.

“That’s right.” He found himself agreeing with her, defying all rationality, almost as if he was in a trance.

“Are you ready?” The White Queen asked, him, reaching down between them to gently stroke his cock. He was hardening already, but the added sensation made him stiffen within her hand, cock hot and heavy.

Despite his instincts telling him not to, despite rational thought agreeing with his instincts, Shido was running on a post-orgasmic high. That, added with a gorgeous woman offering so much to him, lightly stroking his cock in the process…

“Yeah, I’m ready.”

As he spoke, Shido reached up to lay his hands on Lady’s hips. Marvelling at the curves of her body, he slid his hands up along them, tracing her figure until his hands reached her breasts. He squeezed the supple flesh, smiling as the Queen sighed in pleasure. He grazed his fingers over her stiff nipples, and Lady reached up to cup the back of his head, combing her fingers through his hair in a slow, encouraging tempo. Her free hand worked on his cock, stroking him until he was rock hard and throbbing in her hand once again. Judging by the way a smirk curled her lips, the reaction she got was was exactly the one she wanted.

“I’ve waited so long for this,” Lady cooed, lifting herself up from her position straddling him. He moved down along his body, and Shido shuddered as she positioned herself over his cock. She held his cock gently, keeping it in place as she angled herself into a new position. Shido finally got a view of her sex, wet and glistening with her arousal. Shido squirmed at the mere sight of it, his eyes locked onto her cunt. She blushed under his hungry gaze, and with actions unbefitting of a blushing, coy maiden, pressed her warm slit against his cock. Shido immediately tensed and groaned, as the White Queen began to rub labia along his length.

She coated him in her arousal, the slick, wet feeling coating his cock making him moan and clutch the sheets. He desperately longed to feel what it would be like _inside_ of her, but he didn’t want to push her. Nor did he think he would exactly be waiting long.

“So hot…” Lady hissed out, a shudder visibly wracking her body as she slid her sex slowly, teasingly up the length of his cock. The warmth of her pussy was practically calling to him, and his erection was nearly painful thanks to the slow yet consistent, skilful actions of the White Queen. He tried, weakly, for more friction. He bucked his hips, hearing Lady giggle as she came to a stop.

“Y-you’re as eager as me…” She breathed, a chuckle making her breasts shake as she stopped.

_Damnit._ Shido couldn’t help but whine inwardly as that friction stopped, and he also couldn’t suppress the pleading look he gave Lady. She took mercy on him without hesitation, thankfully, and grinned charmingly.

“Don’t worry, th-this is just a warm up… I honestly can’t hold myself back either.”

Shido would have had the wherewithal to wonder why this woman was being quite so familiar with him. All considered, this turn of events was immensely out of the ordinary. But as she planted her hands either side of his body for support, and positioned her entrance over the head of his cock, he found that he no longer cared.

He watched intently as her arousal dripped down over his cock, and quickly reached out to grasp the Queen’s shapely hips. She gave him an approving coo, holding his dick to keep it lined with her entrance.

Then in one easy motion, she allowed herself to drop down. The moment the head of his cock parted her labia and allowed him to sink into that blissful, tight heat, Shido felt part of his brain melt away.

“Fuck!” He swore, desperately fighting every instinct in his body that urged him to pull Lady down further on his cock. Shido instead contented himself, only barely, to clutching her hips tightly. The White Queen, too, gasped as his cock entered her. She flinched the moment he breached her, and winced audibly, pausing and not dropping herself down any further.

“H-hang on…” She whispered, gritting her teeth and giving Shido a slight smile. “I’m not very used to this feeling…”

“Take as much time as you need!” Shido was quick to reassure her, even though the teasing sensation of her wet heat tightly gripping his cock was making it very difficult to not start the raw, instinctive action of beginning to pound into her. He massaged her hips, and as she let out a long exhale, Shido felt her walls flutter around him.

“You’re so kind, King,” Lady whispered, smiling down at him as she wriggled her hips ever so slightly.

“Least I could do,” Shido swallowed, before letting out a loud groan as the White Queen finally allowed herself to ease down onto his cock. Used to his size now, she pushed herself down to the base of his cock, letting him bottom out inside of her. Shido grit his teeth at the feel of his entire shaft buried inside of her sex, her walls velvety, hot, and gripping his cock in a way Shido could hardly handle.

Lady straddled him as best she could, her back arched thanks to the sensation of Shido’s cock hilted inside of her. Every minute movement she made caused pleasure to shoot through him, and the Queen began to ride him, setting up a rhythmic pace. Her movements were hardly inexperienced despite the warning she gave Shido, working herself up and down on his cock with sensual, controlled movements. Shido instinctively began to match her pace, bucking his hips in time and driving his cock into her.

“Shit, you’re good-!” Shido cursed through gritted teeth, clutching Lady’s hips tightly as she rode him. The erotic sight of her chest bouncing with each rhythmic up and down movement made it all the better. Her rhythm was assured and steady, not missing a beat and not allowing him to accidentally slip out of her. Shido tried to buck his hips, but her hands on his hips stopped him. Her walls dragged along his cock pleasurably, enough friction to feel so, _so,_ good, yet she was wet enough for it to feel all the better. She gave him a grin as she rode him, breathing shakily and only barely holding back moans of bliss. Pressure was building in his balls, and as he felt them tighten, cock twitching within her, she spoke.

“I-I’m going to make this feel better,” she gasped out after a moment, and suddenly stopped. The White Queen raised her hips, forcing him to slide out of her.

“L-Lady!” Shido begged, unable to stop himself from tugging frustratedly on the sheets as his cock slipped out of the White Queen. His shaft was slick with her arousal, and precum dribbled from the tip of his cock. He was painfully hard, cock throbbing with how close he had been to climax. Thankfully, the White Queen hadn’t intended on stopping.

She fell back, movements clumsy and rushed as she grasped Shido with strength unbefitting of her lithe appearance, and forced him to mount her. Shido was made to wedge himself between her widely spread legs, before they locked around his hips, drawing him in.

Lady rose up, and Shido swallowed as she dug her nails into his back and brought her chest to his. The soft press of her breasts, the tightness of her legs around him, and the feel of her hot folds brushing against his dick were doing unspeakable things to him. He held one hand around the base of his cock, breathing laboured as he fought the urge to push inside of her tempting heat once more.

“I want you to take me,” The White Queen whispered, forcing Shido to look up from between her legs. He met her eyes, and the sheer _hunger_ in them was almost frightening. “Hard, passionate. Take me, King. It’ll be like a coronation of sorts, just please, do it. Do _me. Fuck_ me, please!”

Her voice was desperate, husky. Shido nodded in response, feeling somewhat dumb, although the blood rushing to his cock was making it hard to respond in any other way.

“I can do that,” he whispered in the most assured, firm voice he could muster. Rubbing his cock between her folds briefly, lubricating the head of it with Lady’s arousal, he took a breath before sinking into her tight sex again.

“Yes…” The sensual hiss that tore from the White Queen’s throat was sex to his ears, almost as arousing as the way her walls gripped his cock with tight force. He felt each and every minute flutter and squeeze of her pussy as she writhed, evidently _loving_ the treatment herself.

Unable to wait any longer, Shido thrust into her. Drawing himself out of her, right before his cock slipped out, he then bucked his hips forward to hilt himself inside of her again. His pace was clumsy at first, but encouraged by the sound of her breathless moans, the way she gasped with each slap of skin-on-skin, Shido quickly found a rhythm that drove the both of them mad.

“Y-you feel so good…” Shido grunted out between each quick, deep stroke of his hips jutting forward. The staccato, wet sounds of him plunging into her repeatedly echoed throughout the room, only interspersed by their intermingled, heavy breathing and sounds of animalistic lust. Each thrust forward drew more pleasure, with the White Queen’s pussy hugging his cock so tightly and so snugly he wondered how it wasn’t hurting her. But it wasn’t, one quick look at her face, deeply flushed, eyes shut in ecstasy, nails raking down his back told him that he was doing everything just right. Barely able to think between his rhythmic, deep pounding into her, he reached between them and began to hastily rub at her clitoris, alternating between the sensitive bud itself and the hood around it. Lady squealed in response, and he groaned as her walls fluttered around his cock.

“K-King, I’m close! Yes, yes!” Lady’s cries were cut off by a sound that Shido could only describe as pure sex. The most erotic sound he’d likely _ever_ heard: a single, debauched moan of sheer ecstasy and euphoria, caused by his own ministrations. The moment the wet walls of her cunt clamped down on him, a jolt of pleasure shot through him and he felt himself tip over the edge. Hilting himself deep inside of her, encouraged by the way her legs tightened around him, he came. Shido nearly collapsed over her as he came, ropes of cum filling her in a way that made his legs turn to jelly.

He stayed hilted inside of her even as he came off of his climax, and as she squeezed him in her arms, he let himself collapse atop of her. His head rested between the soft skin of her breasts, delighting in the firmness of her bust. He could only twitch as he slipped out of her, much to the White Queen’s annoyance.

As their breathing steadied, Lady was the first to break the silence. She lightly rubbed his back, feeling the ridges and scrapes in his skin, where her nails had been.

“That was everything I’d been dreaming of, King…” She whispered, dreamily. Shido could only muster the energy to hum in response, raising his head to look at her face. “Thank you for making it so incredible…”

“A-any time…” Shido whispered back, feeling his eyelids grow heavy as he rested against the warmth of her body. It was so strangely intimate, despite her being as good as a stranger. Yet, she didn’t treat him like one. Calling him King, the mention of coronation… All of it was confusing, but almost comforting in a way. But his feelings and thoughts could wait. 

“I’m sorry, Lady, I’m tired… But I really enjoyed myself too…”

He felt her smile, and heard it in her voice.

“You can sleep, King… I’m glad I could make it as enjoyable for you as it was for me… We have plenty of time to make more memories together…”

_That sounds… nice._ Shido thought to himself, the relaxing way she massaged his back lulling him into sleep before he even knew it. As his thoughts grew less coherent, Shido was dimly aware of the fact that he shouldn’t feel this relaxed. He was around someone he could _tell_ was dangerous, his intuition kept nagging him, but he simply couldn’t bring himself to care enough right now. The warmth of her body and softness of her skin were all too soothing.

He let himself slip away into the embrace of sleep.


	4. Checkmate

Shido’s brain throbbed against his skull. Or at least, that was what it felt like. Everything hurt, and there was a distinct numbness around his wrists that made him cringe.

He was also blind.

_My eyes are open, but I can’t see… Am… Am I blindfolded?_

As if answering him, Shido heard shoes scuffing polished floor. He flinched at the sound, before something tied at the back of his head was tugged, and suddenly he was given sight again.

_Bright!_ Was the first thought that crossed his mind. He squinted as bright white light assaulted his retinas, nearly making them burn. He tried to shield away from the light, but everywhere he looked, he was met with stark white.

That was strange enough.

Shido was then made acutely aware of the presence beside him.

A girl dressed in white, pure, stainless white. With equally as colourless hair. She had her lips set in a thin line, and as Shido searched her face to meet her eyes, he was shocked to see blood red staring back at him. The girl wordlessly eyed him, and twisted something behind his back- a scythe, upon further inspection, that made the hairs on the back of his neck stand.

Thankfully, he wasn’t executed on the spot, though the ropes around his wrists that had been making them numb were cut and he was relieved of the pressure.

“Thank you.” The words were out of his mouth before he could stop them, rubbing his sore wrists as he looked up at the plain girl. He didn’t even get a nod of acknowledgement as she stepped back, nearly blending into the white walls of the… castle?

“He finally woke up.”

It was made clear to Shido that he was not on Earth. Or at least, nowhere that he knew. He was surrounded by cavernous the white walls of a palace, and before him was a throne with one woman sitting atop of it, eyeing him down like he were prey. And that voice was…

“Kurumi!” Shido gasped, standing suddenly at the sight of the girl atop the throne. However, there were some stark differences from this girl and Kurumi. Namely, that she wore a militant white dress in place of Kurumi’s usual gothic Lolita style, that she had pristine white hair as opposed to Kurumi’s midnight black, and that her left eye was blue, not gold. “Is that you?”

“It is Queen to you,” The White Queen corrected him, paying no mind to the boy’s dumbfounded expression.“I expect you to call me that, Shido.”

She knew his name, which was concerning. This woman was so alike Kurumi it was frightening, yet, the obvious differences between the two confused him. A distinct energy was radiating from her as well, and Shido recognised it as that of a Demon King, rather than an Angel. Did that mean this was Kurumi’s inversion?

His eyes widened at that, wobbling to his feet and gulping.

“You are an Inverse Spirit, aren’t you? What happened, Kurumi? Why did you Inverse?”

Queen rolled her eyes. “I told you to call me Queen. Please, spare me the saviour talk, I have no intention of listening.”

“But something must have happened! Are you okay?”

Shido was truly clutching at straws at this point. He had seen some Inversions before- Tohka and Origami being the most prominent burned into his mind- but not one like this. This woman seemed lucid and aware, which he couldn’t decide on if it were a good or bad thing. On one hand, this was probably more dangerous, but on the other, he could reason with her. It was easier to reason with a logical person than a mindless monster.

“I told you to stop it.” Queen waved a hand, ignoring his question as her tone dropped slightly, an evident warning that Shido refused to listen to.

“It doesn’t matter!” Shido called, taking a hesitant step towards the White Queen. His eyes were hardened, but there was a warmth behind them. His heart pounded in his chest, a million beats a minute as he stared into those mismatched eyes before him. “It doesn’t matter who you are, if you’re Kurumi or you’re her Inverse, or what happened to you to make you Inverse… I want to save you! I want to right that wrong!”

He smiled, a shaky one, and his lips quivered as he tried to form the next words.

“Your name is Queen, right? Or that’s what you want to be called… right? Well, I’m here, and I’m not leaving until we’ve worked this out. I know it must be hard for you here, in this…” He trailed off, gesturing around at the cold white walls surrounding them, the only colour coming from himself, the red throne, and the White Queen’s eyes. “… This place, so take my hand, and we can figure this out _together._ ”

Shido heard his own voice echo as he went silent. The White Queen hadn’t moved from her throne, and hadn’t taken her eyes off of the pleading boy.

“You must use those lines a lot,” Queen murmured, her voice _slightly_ different from Kurumi’s in a way that sent a shiver up Shido’s spine. It was the same as hers, but there was something distinctly different about how she spoke… the inflection or tone? Or… something else? Whatever it was, it made him feel levels of discomfort he couldn’t quite handle. “Do they work often?”

Shido swallowed, lowering his outstretched hand as the White Queen made no move to approach him, still sitting on her throne.

“It’s… It’s not about if they work or not! I mean it, Queen, I swear it,” Shido explained, swallowing the building nervousness back down. “I’m here to save you.”

“Are you? You don’t even know why you’re here, Shido. You don’t know how you got here, and you don’t know the first thing about me,” Queen exhaled, shutting her eyes before reopening them.

She affixed him with a glare, one filled with so much malice that he stopped dead in his tracks. Any protest died in his throat, and he realised that he hadn’t faltered like this in a long time.

“I know who you are, Shido. I know _what_ you are, and I know that you know Kurumi.” The last word came out strained, and Queen briefly shook her head as she finally rose from her her throne, starting to step towards him. Her heels clicked against the marble of the floor, and Shido found himself on the defensive after a moment, taking a wary step back.  
  
“I also know that you don’t deserve her.”

“…What are you saying?” Shido asked, his smile replaced by a slight, uncertain, upward tilt of his lips, watching as the White Queen approached him, scrutinising him.

“You don’t deserve Kurumi Tokisaki,” Queen reaffirmed. “You don’t know the first thing about her.”

Shido took a breath. He’d faced greater threats than this. But he couldn’t deny the feeling gnawing inside of his gut.

“You keep speaking of Kurumi as if she’s a different person,” Shido began, his voice coming out weaker than he would’ve liked as Queen stopped before him, keeping arm’s length apart. “Why?”

Queen finally smiled, for the first time in their meeting.

It was chilling and thin.

“Because I am not Kurumi.”

Shido’s blood turned to ice.

That voice. _That voice._ At first, Shido couldn’t place it. The shock of the White Queen’s voice jumping to a startling difference from Kurumi’s already left him reeling, and when it hit him, he felt his heartbeat quicken tenfold.

_Sawa…?_

The White Queen’s eyes were sparkling with delight at Shido’s visible confusion.

“You…”

“That’s right,” The White Queen spread her arms out, an almost inviting gesture if it wasn’t for the aura of sheer _hatred_ she was exuding. “Sawa Yamauchi.”

“But how? You shouldn’t… That doesn’t make sense…” Shido got out, his voice strained in his throat as his brain tried to piece together. Where _was_ he? Was Sawa really dead? Was _he_ dead because he was with a presumed dead girl? Did Sawa never die? No, that would be impossible…

“It’s cute to watch you think it through.” The White Queen’s voice was back to normal once more- normal being Kurumi’s voice yet not quite, which was strange to Shido in and of itself. “I should be dead, right? That’s what you’re thinking. That Kurumi _killed me_ , shot me over and over again, and that I died miserably right there on the pavement. Well, here I am, Shido Itsuka.”

Shido’s mind raced as the White Queen lowered her arms, and he struggled to form more words.

“But why?” Was all he could say, his voice coming out in a hushed whisper. “Why do you… Why do you… Why did you bring me here?”

“That’s a good question. But one I already answered,” Queen murmured, clasping her gloved hands together in front of her, in a way reminiscent of a shy maiden trying to muster up the courage to speak.

The contrast was all too jarring.

“You’re here because Kurumi is mine. You’ve interfered with her too much. You’ve interfered in this world too, but that isn’t a problem I care enough about to get into, although the others would disagree. Do you know what she does?”

Shido, fuelled by morbid curiosity, could only shake his head.

“She wants to get out of here to meet you. Not everybody agrees with her decision, yet she is still rather adamant that she wants to see you again. Which bothers me more than I would like to admit.”

Shido held up his hand, the action making Queen raise an eyebrow, although he didn’t notice it.

“So you brought me here because Kurumi is looking for me?” He asked, flinching slightly as the White Queen twisted her head and seemed to suppress something for a moment, before fixating him once again with a steady gaze.

“I brought you here because you don’t deserve her, and because she and I have unfinished business. I don’t expect you to understand, Shido. After all, you’re seconds to her. I’m not sure how much time elapsed between when she killed me and when she met you, but I’m willing to bet you leapt at the chance to play hero to a pretty girl. Does it make you feel good, Shido?”

Shido felt his body stiffen at the jeer, and against his better judgement, didn’t fight the urge to snap back.

“ _No!_ It’s not like that, Sawa! That’s not how it went down at all! She was distraught after what she did to you, Sawa. She didn’t show it at first, but when she opened up to me, she told me! She regrets it every single day!”

The White Queen’s lip curled with disgust, and Shido could see her fist clench and unclench slowly by her side.

“Remorse is supposed to absolve my murder?”

“That’s not what I meant. But remorse holds _some_ weight, she didn’t just forget about you as if you didn’t exist!”

“I would hope not,” Queen sneered, her fist stopping, balled at her side. “She and I shared more moments in time and incredible memories than you could ever hope to make with her. But I can’t just forgive her for what she did, even if she was remorseful. She can pray all she wants, and she can cry all she wants, but it doesn’t change the fact that she still put round after round into my body until I was at the brink of death, and scorned me with cold eyes as I died in front of her, by her hands.”

Her bitter hiss made Shido’s stomach twist and his heart skip a beat. As tough as he wanted to seem, he couldn’t suppress his empathy. Seeing White Queen like this, it was easy to dismiss her as a monster, but the fact that she spoke of her wounds as if they were raw made him want to pour his heart to her.

“Sawa-”

“I don’t want to hear it. I don’t want your pity and I don’t want your attempt at redeeming me,” Queen cut him off without remorse. “But what I do want… is you out of the picture. For good.”

Shido narrowed his eyes at that, watching the Queen begin to pace in front of him.

“You’re going to kill me?”

“Of course,” she answered without hesitation. “It’s the only way.”

“Two wrongs don’t make a right, Sawa. Just because Kurumi killed you, revenge doesn’t mean she’s going to come any easier. In fact, knowing her, it’ll only make her hate you.”

The White Queen exhaled, sharply.

“You keep talking about her as if you know her better than I do,” she growled, glaring at him and pausing her pacing. “It’s presumptuous.”

“Maybe it is,” Shido began, gritting his teeth. “But you need to trust me, Sawa. I’m not speaking out of self preservation, I mean it, she’s only going to develop a grudge against you for this!”

His assumption that he may have struck a chord with the Queen was drowned the moment she let out a bitter, biting laugh.

“I think I’ve had about enough of you, Shido. You’re sickening. _I_ know what is good for Kurumi, and I am going to ensure that she gets her comeuppance for what she did to me. And you are the key player in that.”

A flintlock pistol materialised in her right hand, composed of intricate mechanical parts, colder than the warm, elegant style of Kurumi’s. Shido tensed, raising his hands and stepping back as she cocked the weapon.

“Sawa, please. Kurumi won’t forgive you for this. I don’t mean to condescend, but I know her! Trust me! I want to save you too, Sawa. I can tell you’re scared, you’re scared of what will happen if you don’t succeed, and you’re angry over what she did. Kurumi is torn apart every day by what she did, she dedicated her entire life to undoing what she did to you! Please, Sawa, drop the gun and we can talk this through!"

His voice was firm and clear, thankfully. But his heart was only hammering harder in his chest. He knew that being shot wouldn’t kill him, but fear was still very visceral, and it was rooting him in place. But still, he saw someone suffering behind those cold eyes, and he couldn’t help but reach out.

Silence.

“Your sanctimonious, empty words are just that. Don’t try and pretend they are anything more.”

Shido’s heart dropped. 

_She’s so angry…_

“Goodbye, Shido Itsuka,” Queen whispered, levelling her flintlock pistol with Shido’s head.

Shido narrowed his eyes, gritting his teeth and raising his hands up. “Sawa… It’s not too late. We can fix this, I know you’re hurt, but this isn’t going to solve anything!”

“It isn’t?” Queen asked, tone biting. “I think it will solve _plenty_. Removing you from the equation completely. That will take down my largest hurdle. You’ve made a name for yourself even in this world, and it sickened me to learn that Kurumi was still after you."

Shido swallowed as she heard the pistol’s trigger tighten, courtesy of the White Queen’s tightening grip. Camael’s power would heal him from even the most grievous of wounds, so he didn’t have anything to fear in that regard, but the pain from them was still very real and very, very visceral.

“You won’t kill me like that,” He told her after a moment, giving the White Queen a slight smile, pressing his forehead to the muzzle of her gun. “I’ll come back. I’m not going to give up on you, I haven’t given up on a Spirit yet.”

“Rest assured, I know everything about Camael’s power, Shido Itsuka, which is why you’re out of luck."

That chilling smile was back.

“Lucifugus, Arie.”

Shido felt his stomach drop. An instinctive, visceral reaction suddenly surged within him, and all of his muscles bunched. Something screamed at him to _run._

“Those flames can’t heal what isn’t there.”

He flinched away from the pistol.

The cavernous throne room was filled with a horrendous, ear-piercing screeching sound, amplified to a level that Shido thought his eardrums would burst from. But it didn’t last long.

The White Queen watched as the Leo bullet devoured him. His head first, as it had been the first thing in the bullet’s line of fire, and it came down to consume the rest of him without failure. The sound was agonising, but the Queen didn’t flinch. She lowered her pistol, watching white void replace what had once been Shido Itsuka.

Her distaste for the sound of Arie was swamped by a flood of satisfaction. A moment of clarity graced her, the voices clamouring in her head, always pressing on her mind, silenced by the weight of what had occurred.

It was exhilarating.

She slowly lowered her pistol to her side and exhaled with the movement. “I’ve done it,” she whispered to herself, gazing into the gaping absence of matter, courtesy of her powers. “I’ve really done it.”

A shiver wracked her body, running up her spine in the most pleasurable way.

Shido Itsuka was gone. There would be nothing left of him for Kurumi, apart from scraps of memory.

_Fitting._

After this, there was only one more person she needed to deal with in order to exact her punishment on Kurumi. She had something more personal in mind for her, and it would be a delicate operation. But she had time, there was no rush.

She rolled her head back on her shoulders and gazed up at the cavernous ceiling of the throne room.

“I’ll finally be able to make you feel even a fraction of what I felt,” she murmured, shutting her eyes. “I can’t wait for our reunion, Kurumi.”

Shido was probably right. There was hardly a way Kurumi would forgive her for cold-blooded murder, not only of Shido, but for the hundreds of others killed by her hand. Kurumi didn’t need to forgive her, however. In fact, Kurumi should be on her knees begging _for_ forgiveness after what she did.

Blissful silence, coupled with the joy of everything slotting perfectly into place.

She waited for General to push to the fore, or for Politician to make a snide remark. Or for Lady to lament over the death of her beloved. Or for the wretched twist of fear weighing on her mind, sinking her gut to claim her again, over and over, ever since her death.

But nothing came.

And it was glorious.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> That'll be the end! All in all, this was very fun to write if not troublesome at times. Thank you for reading.


End file.
